DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
ANNUAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
AY 08/09
Option 1: Narrative Submission: please address the following questions.
1. What goals or learning objectives/outcomes were assessed in the AY ending June 30 (e.g., 2006,
2007, 2008?)
The Anthropology Department implemented a new major curriculum in Fall 2007, and developed a new
Assessment Plan in Spring 2008, to assess that major. We have scheduled our assessment activities to monitor
how well majors are achieving learning outcomes and objectives as they enter and progress through the new
curriculum. Consequently, our 08/09 assessments, our first year of assessment under the new curriculum and plan,
evaluated the disciplinary competency of undergraduate majors taking the first tiers of required upper division
courses. Specifically, we wanted to assess whether or not anthropology majors successfully acquire basic
introductory knowledge in the lower-division prerequisite classes (Anth 1, Anth 2, Anth 3, and Anth 4) necessary
to successfully complete required upper-division coursework.
Regarding disciplinary competency, we expect all our majors to demonstrate
a significant understanding of central aspects of anthropology, including the nature of science as a
distinctive form of knowledge and practice, basic evolutionary theory and an understanding of the place
of humans in space and time from a biological standpoint, social, cultural, and linguistic processes,
ecological and economic adaptations, history, and past and present human diversity
Our specific, measurable learning outcome for students who have completed their lower-division coursework and
who are beginning their required, upper-division classes was that they demonstrate an understanding of key
concepts, perspectives, and theories of each of the four sub-fields of anthropology by selecting the correct answer
from a set of options in a multiple-choice quiz designed to monitor their competency in each sub-discipline.
2. How did you assess these learning outcomes?
a. Describe the measures you used and the information gathered? (Description, date
administered, results)
b. As a result of these assessments what did you learn about the program’s success in
helping its students achieve these learning outcomes?
c. In what areas are students doing well and achieving expectations?
d. What areas are seen as needing improvement within your program?
Faculty in each of the four sub-disciplines (archaeological, physical, linguistic, and socio-cultural anthropology)
derived short, multiple-choice quizzes from the GE assessment instruments of the lower-division classes, that
assess the state of undergraduate student knowledge for the most basic concepts in the four sub-disciplines. The
assessment activities each of the four sub-disciplines are discussed individually below.
Archaeology
The archaeology quiz consisted of nine multiple choice questions that determined whether students
understood principal goals of the field of archeology, and a few introductory level concepts concerning
archaeological method and its interface with other sub disciplines of anthropology. The archaeologists
were also interested in assessing whether or not students who took their introductory class in
archaeology in a community college acquiring comparably competent to native Sacramento State
students who took their introductory coursework within our curriculum.
The quiz is listed below.
Prerequisite Assessment Quiz for Archaeology Foundation Classes
Please mark only one letter for the correct answer on your Scantron Form.
1. Please indicate your correct status.
a. I am a major in Anthropology
b. I am a minor in Anthropology
c. I am considering a major or minor in Anthropology
d. Other
2. Where did you take Anth 3, Introduction to Archaeology, or a transferable course?
a. Sacramento State
b. another CSU campus
c. a Two-Year College
d. other
******************************************************************************************
3. Which of the following are goals of archaeology?
a. Reconstruct the history of past human cultures.
b. Discern the lifeways (i.e., behavior) of past people.
c. Explain the processes that influence patterns of past behavior.
d. Identify what past items and behaviors meant to the people associated with them.
e. All of the above.
4. Which of the following is a relative dating technique?
a. Radiocarbon
b. Stratigraphic
c. Seriation
d. Potassium Argon
e. b and c above
5. Why are archaeologists concerned with the provenience (i.e., location and depth) of items uncovered by archaeological
excavations?
a) Because archaeologists believe that human behavior is preserved directly in the archaeological record.
b) This information is interesting, but not needed.
c) So they can evaluate how different items are associated with each other
d) Because it is important to record every minute detail about an archaeological excavation.
e) None of the above
6. What lines of evidence help distinguish prehistoric ranked from egalitarian societies?
a. mortuary associations
b. monumental construction
c. hierarchical settlement patterns
d. sponsored craft specialization
e. all of the above
7. What transformations to human socioeconomic organization have occurred over the last 10,000 years and led to the diversity
of the modern human community
a. the development of large game hunting
b. the evolution of human intelligence
c. the origins of agricultural subsistence strategies
d. the rise of complex societies
e. c and d
8. What kind(s) of evidence highlights the important contributions of women to ancient
economies?
a. Signs of repetitive motion arthritis from grinding grain in women’s skeletons.
b. Women’s burials accompanied by the tools that they used in life.
c. Divisions of house floors in areas of men’s work and women’s work.
d. Analogous ethnographic cases which document women in hunter-gatherer societies
gathering the bulk of consumed food.
e. All of the above
9. A major reason that archaeologists refer to ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological descriptions of historic and modern peoples
living in traditional societies (i.e., hunter-gatherers, subsistence agriculturists) is
a. to learn what traditional peoples think about the past.
b. to view traditional peoples as “living fossils” of prehistoric societies.
c. to draw analogies from traditional societies to help explain past behavior.
d. to learn about site formation processes in traditional contexts
e. c and d above
Quiz results: Archaeology instructors of three, required upper-division classes (Anth 111, 115, and 117)
administered the non-credit, multiple-choice quiz. Quiz results are tallied below cumulatively for the
three classes.
Table 1. Assessment Quiz Results for Archaeology Foundational Classes during the 08/09
Academic Year
Student Category
Count
Question #3
Question #4
Question #5
Question #6
Question #7
Question #8
Question #9
Native
46
100%
80%
78%
93%
89%
80%
78%
Transfer
43
98%
74%
67%
84%
86%
79%
91%
Other
10
100%
40%
70%
70%
80%
80%
70%
All Students
99
98%
73%
72%
86%
86%
79%
82%
The archaeology faculty discussed the quiz results at the start of spring semester 2009. Although native
Sacramento State students score better than transfer students on all but one assessment question, the
difference is subtle and may simply reflect the fact that native students took the assessment quiz when
they completed Anth 3. Also, there was notable variation between classes, and transfer students scored
significantly better than native students on Assessment Question 7. The faculty decided that additional
data was needed and to continue to administer a modified quiz during the 09/10 academic year.
Biological Anthropology
This quiz, made up of 10 multiple choice questions, is designed to assess the students’ understanding of
our first two objectives (in brief): 1) the nature of science and the scientific method and, 2) basic
evolutionary theory.
Quiz Administered in Foundation Courses during 2008-2010
1)
A scientific hypothesis:
a)
b)
c)
d)
must always be a correct statement
is not a necessary part of the scientific method
is the same as a law
must be falsifiable
2)
Events that are never repeated are suitable for scientific enquiry.
a) True
b) False
3)
One of the basic assumptions of science is that all events that we perceive through our senses must be explained by natural, not
supernatural, causes.
a) True
b) False
4)
Science is a perfect process, because data are always interpreted the same way.
a) True
b) False
5)
One of the main ideas of natural selection is that:
a) some individuals have certain variations that allow them to survive and reproduce more successfully than others
b) variation is not the norm in nature
c) all young that are born will survive into adulthood
d) if a giraffe stretches his neck enough it will have an advantage over other giraffes.
6)
A change in the frequency of a gene in a population over time due to entirely random factors is called ______________.
a) gene flow
b) admixture
c) genetic drift
d) natural selection
7)
When discussing natural selection, the term “fitness” is best thought of as ___________.
a) a reference to physical fitness
b) reproductive success
c) strength
d) none of these
8)
Which of the following traits do humans share with other apes?
a) Lack of a tail
b) Broad thorax
c) Full range of motion at shoulder
d) All of the above
9)
The genus Homo appeared approximately ____________.
a) 4 million years ago
b) 2 million years ago
c) 200,000 years ago
d) 20,000 years ago
10) The feature that distinguishes Homo from australopithecines is:
a) larger brain size
b) bipedal locomotion
c) the presence of nails on their fingers and toes
d) stereoscopic vision
The quiz was administered in two foundation classes during the fall of 2008: Anth 151, Human
Paleontology and Anth 155, Physical Method & Theory. Results are presented below in Tables 2 and 3.
Table 2. Grade Distribution
Grade # Students # Students
Class 1
10
5
9
11
8
10
7
2
6
3
5
0
4
1
Total
32
Mean
8.3
Median 8
Class 2
1
10
12
4
4
0
1
32
7.9
8
Table 3. Question distribution.
Question # Topic
# Wrong % wrong
Class 1
1
Hypothesis
3
9
2
Repeatable
2
6
3
Natural causes
2
6
4
Science perfect
1
3
5
Natural selection 1
3
6
Gene drift
11
34
7
Fitness
4
13
8
Humans/apes
5
16
9
Homo date
18
56
10
Homo/Australos 8
25
# Wrong % Wrong
Class 2
8
25
4
13
3
9
0
0
0
0
15
47
3
9
16
5
21
66
10
31
Defining 70% as a C- or better, then students must get a 7/10 or better for our criteria to be performing
well (not just passing). The overall mean is excellent for both classes and the distribution of grades
suggests that few students (n=4 out of 32, 13% for class 1 and n=5 out of 32, 16% for class 2) are
getting below a 7/10 (Table 1). The median value for both classes falls at 8 out of 10.
However, these sample classes suggest questions 6 and 9 (and perhaps 1 and 10) are troublesome areas
(Table 2) we need to work on in advanced (foundational) classes that students do not seem to understand
from Anth 1.
Linguistic Anthropology
A linguistic anthropology quiz was developed and administered in the Linguistic Anthropology
Foundation Course ANTH 160 (Linguistic Anthropology) at the start of the Spring 09 semester. This
instrument assesses whether or not anthropology majors are acquiring basic introductory knowledge to
linguistic anthropology in the lower division pre-requisite course Language, Culture, and Critical
Thinking (ANTH 004). The quiz is designed to assess whether or not students understand fundamental
concepts of linguistic analysis (the tools of analysis including phonology, morphology, syntax,
semantics, pragmatics, syntactic ambiguity, and how to implement them, etc.) as well as how linguistic
concepts are employed by anthropology.
DIRECT ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT 1 (ANTH 160/162, SPRING 2009 – 2011)
1. The mostly subconscious knowledge of the grammar and lexicon of one’s language is called
a. Linguistic competence.
b. Linguistic performance.
c. Linguistic patterns.
d. Linguistic systematics.
2. Humans can communicate about things that happened a long time ago or a long distance away. This is called
a. Openness.
b. Discreteness.
c. Prevarication.
d. Displacement.
3. A perceptional unit of sound that changes the meaning of a word when alternated with an other such unit is called a
a. phone
b. allophone
c. phoneme
d. allomorph
e. lexeme
4. The word meanings has _____bound morpheme(s).
a. 0
c. 2
b. 1
d. 3
5. If said out of context, the sentence “Jan saw the people with binoculars” could serve as an example of
a. Structural ambiguity.
b. Lexical ambiguity
c. Part-of speech ambiguity
d. Deep structure
6. There are various ways to make new words; the process that forms new words from two or more independent words is called
____________; while morpheme-internal modifications which result in new words is referred to as _____________.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
reduplication; affixation
compounding; affixation
affixation; compounding
alternation; compounding
compounding; alternation
7. _________ are made by stopping the airstream completely and then releasing the air.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Stops
Fricatives
Affricates
Nasals
Glides
8. Pronouns have referents that shift from one utterance to the next. This characteristic is called:
a. Plagiarism
b. Deixis
c. Prevarication
d. Code-shifting
9. Which of the following vowels are rounded?
a. [ ɔ ə ʊ ]
b. [ ɔ o u a ]
c. [ a u ʊ ɔ ]
d. [ i ɪ ɛ ə ]
e. [ ɔ ʊ o u ]
10. Which symbol represents a voiced bilabial stop?
a. [ g ]
b. [ k ]
c. [ p ]
d. [ m ]
e. [ b ]
Results of the assessment quiz for Spring 2009 are presented below.
Outcomes of direct assessment instrument 1 (administered Spring 2009)
Table 4: Grade Distribution
Grade
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Total
Mean
Median
Students in ANTH 160 SP 09
0
1
1
4
5
11
4
4
1
0
31
5.2
5
Table 5: Question Distribution
Question #
# students scoring correct
(n = 31)
1
23
2
24
3
11
4
13
5
16
6
15
7
27
8
3
9
18
10
10
% students scoring correct
74%
77
35
42
52
48
87
10
58
32
As the table above suggests, Questions 3, 4, and 10 are difficult for students. In particular, Question 8 is
extremely difficult; upon consultation with the other faculty member who teaches this course, we
discovered that our teaching of this concept is inconsistent. We will have further discussion as to
whether or not to include it as a main concept or not. Question 3 is a known area of difficulty for
students; various tactics are being explored (and implemented) in order to see what works best for
teaching this concept (the difference between a phoneme and an allophone). Clearly, these are concepts
that require further practice and explanation in both ANTH 160 and 162.
Socio-Cultural Anthropology
In the spring semester of 09, a modified ANTH 2 assessment instrument was used as a pre-course
assessment instrument to gauge how well-prepared students were (based on their prerequisite course
work) to succeed in ANTH 146.
ALSO SERVES AS ANTH 146 PRE-COURSE ASSESSMENT EXAM
1. Culture consists of
a. sets of learned behaviors and ideas that human beings acquire as members of society
b. those elements of the human experience that require education and good taste: art, music,
dance
c. sets of innate instincts that enable human beings to function in a complex world
d. those sets of behaviors and ideas that enable human beings to appreciate the differences
between one society and another.
2. ___________is defined as political conquest of one society by another, followed by cultural
domination, with enforced social change.
a. capitalism
b. colonialism
c. feudalism
d. postcolonialism
3. What is the term for the processes that are making nations and people increasingly interlinked
and mutually dependent?
a. globalization
b. modernization
c. neocolonialism
d. world-system development
e. acculturation
4. A description of a particular culture is called an:
a. ethnohistory
b. ethnography
c. ethnology
d. ethnographer
5. The ethnographic research method that relies primarily on face-to-face contact with people as they
go about their daily lives is called:
a. controlled comparison
b. interviewing
c. scientific observation
d. participant observation
6. For more than 90 percent of human history, our ancestors lived by
a. farming
b. herding
c. foraging
d. intensive agriculture
7. According to Antonio Gramsci, rulers who provide some genuine benefits to their subjects, spread
an ideology that justifies their rule, while simultaneously protecting their domination, are
exercising
a. hegemony
b. dictatorship
c. motivation
d. stratification
e. autonomy
8. The social category of race
a. has real consequences, even if it has no reality in biology
b. is based on the measurable differences among biological races
c. is less relevant to people’s lives than is the biological category of race
d. has the same anthropological meaning as ethnic group
e. all of the above
9. A population that is dispersed around the world, but claims a shared identity and sense of
cultural belonging based upon ancestral origins in a common homeland, is called
a. a minority group
b. a diaspora
c. a post-colonial population
d. transnationalist
10. Which of the following terms do anthropologists use to refer to the cultural construction of
beliefs and behaviors considered appropriate for males and females in a particular society?
a.
b.
c.
d.
sex
gender
sexuality
transgender
On the assessment scantron (in the space normally reserved for individual names),
students were asked to record the name of the institution at which they completed ANTH
2. Results are reported below. As Table 6 reveals, transfer students (on average)
demonstrated less competency than native students. Examining the data according to
competency per question also provided valuable information. The instructor has used
these findings to identify areas of collective weakness (e.g. understanding of hegemony,
race as a social fact, and diasporic formation). These areas of weakness can then be
reviewed and underscored in ANTH 146 lecture and discussion.
GE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT (ANTH 2, SPRING 2009-SPRING 2011)
ALSO SERVES AS ANTH 146 PRE-COURSE ASSESSMENT EXAM
(based upon administration of ANTH 2 Assessment Instrument)
Student Category
Count
Assessment
Instrument
Question
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Learning
Outcome
Sampled*
1
2
3
4
Native
Transfer
Unknown
All
7
22
2
31
Average
per
Outcome
Percentage with Correct Responses
100%
100%
96%
96%
100%
100%
90%
87%
87%
100%
100%
87%
83%
90%
96%
96%
67%
70%
64%
87%
100%
100%
96%
93%
96%
100%
93%
93%
96%
100%
100%
87%
77%
80%
93%
96%
51%
51%
48%
87%
88%
86.5%
73.5%
79%
*See section entitled “Course Specific Learning Outcomes and Assessment Questions for ANTH 2” .
At the close of the course, an essay question (keyed to the unique readings in this
semester’s iteration of the course) will be administered as a direct measure assessment
instrument.
This assessment instrument was first administered in Anth 146 in Fall 2008, and scored
according to a rubric that measures sociocultural program outcomes. The assignment
requires students write an essay that
Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate an understanding of basic techniques of
ethnographic research.
Learning Outcome 2 Demonstrate familiarities with the varieties of ethnographic
writing that fall within this genre—from both a historical and
contemporary perspective.
Learning Outcome 3 Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the
epistemological and methodological debates that animate the
contemporary field of sociocultural anthropology.
Results:
87.87% of the registered students accomplished Learning Outcome 1
63.63% of the registered students accomplished Learning Outcomes 1 & 2.
27.27 % of the registered students accomplished Learning Outcome 1,2 & 3
3. As a result of faculty reflection on these results, are there any program changes
anticipated?
a. If so, what are those changes?
b. How will you know if these changes achieved the desired results?
No program changes are planned at this time.
4. Did your department engage in any other assessment activities such as the
development of rubrics, course alignment?
Yes. This year, each of the fours sub-disciplines developed, and began to administer
instruments and grading rubrics designed to assess how well majors achieve learning
outcomes and objectives as they complete their upper division course-work. Descriptions
of the instruments and rubrics are provided by sub-discipline below.
Preliminary comments on our assessment plan noted that the grading rubrics presented
below, were geared toward providing information about writing skills, not set up to
measure the specific content outcome set forth in the assignment. In response to this
comment, the Anthropology Faculty agreed at the end of the spring 09 semester to adopt
the grading rubric developed by the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences as
model for content-oriented rubric to use in addition to the rubrics below.
The Anthropology Department also agreed to establish a permanent Assessment
Committee to oversee future assessment activities.
Archaeology
Essay Question for Tier 1 Archaeology Courses.
Archaeology Tier 1 courses (ANTH 107, 110, 115) primarily address Archaeology’s
Objective 1: Knowledge of the influence of anthropological theory on the history of
archaeology (Department Competence Learning Outcome A), and how theory has shaped
our understanding of key transitions in human prehistory (Department Competence
Learning Outcomes B and D).
ANTH 107, 110, and 115 provide the basis for knowledge of the influence of
anthropological theory on the historical development of archaeology, and how the central
aspects of archaeology have shaped our understanding of human prehistory. The
archaeology faculty have developed an essay question for inclusion on final examinations
for the Tier 1 courses that assesses the mastery of undergraduate majors of the literature,
concepts, arguments, and theoretical flow of a key topic in the human past: the transition
from mobile foraging to settled agricultural ways of life. In the 08/09 AY, the Tier 1
essay question was administered in ANTH 107, Anthropology of Hunters and Gatherers
and ANTH 115, Origins of Agriculture and Complex Society.
Tier 1 essay question (the answer will be no more than one page in length, doublespaced).
“Based on our discussions in class, briefly describe an early archaeological school of
thought concerning the factors affecting the key transition from foraging to sedentary,
agriculturally-dependent societies. You should include names of researchers, approaches,
and approximate dates when this approach was introduced. Now describe a more current
approach.
In your judgment, have archaeological approaches to this topic changed in a significant or
meaningful way between the earlier versus the current schools of thought you just
described? Why or why not?”
See below for essay grading rubric. The scores of individual answers to the topic will be
collected and archived by the archaeology faculty for statistical analysis after a two-year
sample has been collected. Results will be used to improve course content in Tier 1
courses to the point that upper division undergraduate students can be demonstrated to
master this important topic and the methods and theories that flow from it, with an eye to
MA-level intellectual development.
Essay Question for Tier 2 Archaeology Courses.
Archaeology Tier 2 courses (Anth 111, 112, 113, 114, 117, and 122) address
Archaeology’s Objective 2: Knowledge of the prehistory of at least one region of North
America (Department Competence Learning Outcome B) and how anthropological
theory concerning key transitions in human prehistory has shaped current understandings
of the prehistory of that region (Department Competence Learning Outcomes C and D).
ANTH 111, 112, 113, 114, 117, and 122 provide students with the perspective of how the
methods and theories of archaeology have been applied to specific problems and issues in
regional prehistory. The archaeology faculty have developed an essay question for
inclusion on final examinations for Tier 2 courses that assesses the mastery of
undergraduate majors of the connection between research problem development, data
collected in the field, modes of analysis, explanations for regional patterns in prehistoric
life and the material remains those patterns produce, and the ways in which modes of
explanation have changed. The scores of individual answers to the topic will be collected
and archived by the archaeology faculty for statistical analysis after a two-year sample
has been collected. In the 08/09 AY, the Tier 2 essay question was administered in
ANTH 111, California Archaeology and ANTH 117 (Archaeology of the Pacific
Northwest).
Tier 2 essay question (the answer will be no more than one page in length, doublespaced).
“This course has highlighted how changing theoretical perspectives contribute to the
questions archaeologists have asked in (region), the kinds of data they have pursued, and
the explanations they have offered for patterns in the prehistoric record. Discuss how
recent developments in archaeological theory have prompted researchers to rethink some
aspect of (this region’s) prehistory.”
See below for the grading rubric. The results will be used to improve course content in
Tier 2 courses to the point that students can be demonstrated to master the skills required
to perform as professional archaeologists in the field of research or applied archaeology
with a BA or an MA in Anthropology.
Grading Rubric for Archaeology Assessment Essays
A - Excellent (90 - 100) An Exceptional Performance
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A comprehensive grasp of the subject matter is demonstrated, including an awareness of differing viewpoints
where relevant.
An ability to think critically is demonstrated in the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of relevant information.
A clear, fluent, and concise style highlights a well written, tightly argued, and logically structured essay with clear
introductory, body and concluding sections.
A virtually flawless mastery of all aspects of grammar, structure, and style is demonstrated.
If essay is administered in class, no citations are needed. If administered as a take-home, a minimum of five
primary references should be properly cited throughout the text, additional sources may also be cited, appropriate
references cited page is included.
B - Superior (80 - 89) An Above Average Performance
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A thorough grasp of the subject matter is demonstrated, with some attention to differing viewpoints where
relevant.
The paper goes beyond description to interpretation, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
A clear style that communicates well
Well written, but may contain occasional or minor flaws in the mechanics of spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, etc.
If essay is administered in class, no citations are needed. If administered as a take-home, this grade is for a
minimum of five primary sources cited, although there may be incorrect citations or inconsistencies with the
references cited page.
C - Satisfactory (70 - 79) An Average Paper
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A basic grasp of the subject matter is demonstrated with accurate information from relevant sources.
The paper is largely descriptive, with some attempt at synthesis or evaluation of arguments.
A reasonably clear style, although some elements may be lacking or underutilized (e.g. lack of introduction of
conclusion)
An acceptable style demonstrates an awareness of, and attention to, the principles of paragraph development,
sentence structure, grammar and spelling, etc.
If essay is administered in class, no citations are needed. If administered as a take-home, this grade is for fewer
than five primary sources cited, other references are marginally acceptable, although flaws are apparent in
citations, references cited page, or extensive use of non-primary sources.
D - Poor (60 - 69) A Marginally Acceptable Paper
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A lack of familiarity with the subject matter is demonstrated through the omission of key material, or through the
misinterpretation of important concepts or issues.
A lack of critical thinking is evident in a paper that is more descriptive than interpretive; or in which the analysis
and synthesis are logically flawed; or in which there is a reliance on assertion; or in which the relevance of
supporting detail is questionable.
The style is not clear, with missing sections (e.g. introduction) or flawed attempts at synthesis or logical
organization.
There is a lack of acceptable grammatical, spelling, or other basic writing skills.
If essay is administered in class, no citations are needed. If administered as a take-home, this grade is for overreliance on material presented in class, in the assigned readings, or from non-primary sources such as the Internet.
F - Failing (50 - 59) An Unacceptable Performance
1. A basic lack of understanding of the subject matter is demonstrated through gross misinterpretation or omissions.
2. There is little attempt to go beyond description, or interpretation and analysis demonstrates gross error in logic or
supporting detail.
3. The paper is difficult to read due to poor organization skills, or material presented contains gross factual error; or
is completely irrelevant.
4. Written expression is disorganized, incoherent, poorly expressed, and contains unacceptably frequent or serious
errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling.
5. If essay is administered in class, no citations are needed. If administered as a take-home, this grade is for primary
sources used, with the emphasis being on textbook, class lectures or Internet sources.
OR
6. An attempt is made to use another authors' work without providing proper acknowledgement.
7. An attempt is made to hand in an essay from another course.
8. An attempt is made to write an essay on a topic other than that of the essay.
9. An attempt is made to copy from another student, either in class or in the take-home.
NOTE:

Students may not achieve the same level in each dimension; a student with four checks under "A" category and
one check under "B" category would be an "A-". A student with three checks under "C" and two under "B" would
be a "C+". And so on.
Biological Anthropology
This instrument assesses the extent to which anthropology majors are able to carry out
the goals of our third Objective described in the Department Assessment Plan. Objective
3 assesses the students’ ability to locate, critically analyze and synthesize relevant
information from primary sources related to the sub-discipline and communicate these
ideas competently. To this end, we have designed a grading rubric for assessing student
performance on essay/term papers assignments. The rubric is similar to the one provided
for archaeology above. Term papers from the two foundation classes (listed above) were
both graded according to the rubric. For ease of scoring and reporting data, we designed
a simple scoring sheet to represent the grading rubric and present the results. Data from a
representative sample of ten papers from each class (approximately 1/3 of each class) are
included in Tables 3 and 4 below. In choosing the sample of ten, effort was made to
include students in all grade categories (i.e. A, B, etc.) The results from this evaluation
are scheduled for discussion during the fall of 2009 and fall of 2010 semesters.
Table 4: Grading Rubric Sample
Students
A
Criterion 1
A
B
C
D
F
Grasp of subject matter
comprehensive
thorough
basic
some omission/misunderstandings
lack understand
Criterion 2
A
B
C
D
F
Critical, synth, eval, interpret
critical analysis, evaluat, synth
analy, synth, eval
descriptive, some synth
descr, flawed, detail ??
error in logic/supp detail
Criterion 3
A
B
C
D
F
writing style
clear, logical, well-written
clear style
reason. clear, lack elements
not clear, missing sections
tough to read, errors
Criterion 4
A
B
C
D
F
Grammar, etc.
flawless grammar, style
minor flaws
acceptable
lack of acceptable grammar etc
disorganized, incoherent, errors
Criterion 5
A
References & Citations
min N primary, proper citation
min N primary, inconsistent
citation
<5 primary, citation flaws
over-rely non-primary, class
no primary, textbook, etc.
B
C
D
F
A-
B
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
A
B
B
C
B
C
A
B
B
C
B
C
B
C
A
B
B
C
C
C
C
D
B
B
B
C
B
C
C
C
D
D
A
A
A
A
A
A
Other F
plagiarism
paper from another class
topic not approved
Inconsistency seen across comparable grades is due to other criteria, not listed on this sheet,
also used in grading.
A
A
B
B
Linguistic Anthropology
DIRECT ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT 2 (ANTH 160/162, SPRING 2009 – 2011)
ANTH 160 and 162 expose students to foundational arguments within the field of
linguistic anthropology; historical arguments are accessed via primary sources, various
theories and methodologies are chronologically traced, and ethnographic sources (texts,
media, etc.) are utilized in order to apply in class material to real data. ANTH 162 has
the following learning outcomes: 1) demonstrate knowledge of Linguistic Relativity; 2)
demonstrate ability to note the arguments for and against relativity with further
demonstration of its dynamism; 3) demonstrate the ability to take linguistic
anthropological theories and apply them to current day contexts; and 4) demonstrate
working knowledge of the ways that grammar influences everyday lives. To measure
these outcomes, the essay below was devised and administered in class, Fall 2008. The
scores for these essays (a representative sample of 10 students per class) will be collected
and archived by the instructors of these courses for analysis and discussion at the end of
two years (projected to be 2011).
Assessment Instrument 2: Essay question
The relationship between language and culture/worldview has long been attested and contested. While statements
that language determines worldview is clearly a misinterpretation of Whorf (and others), the idea that language
influences our worldview seems more in line with various scholars/authors. In fact, Lakoff & Johnson argue that we
use language to conceptualize and understand our world.
Drawing on at least five of the various authors we have read over the course of the semester, (a) develop an argument
that supports or refutes the idea that language is used to conceptualize our “world.” (b) Be sure to use specific
examples to justify your position. (c) Taking into consideration metaphors (both concepts and expressions),
demonstrate and explain how metaphor can be used to create a particular conceptualization for an audience. (d)
Drawing on Santa Ana, provide an example of a metaphor which negatively characterizes immigration or the
immigration process. Then, create a new and novel metaphor (not one given by Santa Ana) and explain why it would
work (noting its semantic domain and entailments). (e) Finally, apply your knowledge about the relationships between
language uses, conceptualizations of the world, and culture to the article appended below entitled “A Push to Curb the
Casual Use of Ugly Phrases” (by Elliot); please explain the anticipated success or failure of this campaign; justify your
answers through materials in class.
The grading rubric used for assessment purposes follows below.
We consider the following four broad areas when assessing written work: 1) thesis (originality of ideas); 2) use of
evidence; 3) organization; and 4) basic writing skills (grammar, mechanics, spelling, diction, syntax).
Unacceptable Performance: (D or F level work) is filled with mechanical flaws including grammar and spelling
errors. The paragraphs do not hold together; ideas do not develop from sentence to sentence. The writing usually
repeats the same thoughts repeatedly, perhaps in slightly different language, but often in the same words. D or F work
either has no thesis or else it has one that is strikingly vague, broad, or uninteresting. There is little indication that the
writer understands the material presented. D or F work might also fail to fulfill the assignment by not answering or
properly appropriating the question(s) asked, by not being submitted on time, or by not being accompanied by the
appropriate materials. D or F work fails to demonstrate knowledge, comprehension, analysis, or evaluation.
Competent Performance: (C level work) has a thesis, but it is vague and broad, or else it is uninteresting or obvious.
It does not advance an argument that anyone might care to debate. The thesis in C work often hangs on some personal
opinion. Even if it has a clear and interesting thesis, written work with insufficient supporting evidence is deserving of
a C grade. C work may demonstrate knowledge of the material, but lacks comprehension, analysis, or evaluation. C
work also often has mechanical flaws and errors in grammar and spelling.
Above Competent Performance: (B level work) is always mechanically correct. The spelling is good, and the
punctuation is accurate. Evidence is used effectively. Above all, the argument makes sense. It has a thesis that is
limited and worth arguing. It does not contain unexpected digressions, and it ends by keeping the promise to argue and
inform. The reader of B work knows exactly what the author wants to say. The work is well organized; it presents a
worthwhile and interesting idea, and the idea is supported by sound evidence presented in a neat and orderly way
according to recognized conventions for citing evidence. Some of the sentences may be unwieldy now and then, but
they are organized around one main idea. The reader does not have to read a paragraph two or three times to get the
thought that the writer is trying to convey. B work demonstrates knowledge, comprehension, analysis and evaluation.
Outstanding Performance: (A level work) has all the good qualities of the B level work, but in addition it is lively,
well-paced, interesting, even exciting. The presentation has style. Everything seems to fit the thesis exactly. Reading
the work, we sense a mind at work. The reader is convinced that the writer cares for his or her ideas, and about
language and forms that convey ideas. A work conveys knowledge, comprehension, analysis, and evaluation.
Socio-Cultural Anthropology
The assessment instrument developed and implemented for Anth 146 is described in the
assessment results section above.
5. What assessment activities are planned for the upcoming academic year?
1) Faculty in each of the four sub-disciplines will continue to administer the multiple
choice quizzes in required upper-division class work to assess how well majors have
achieved the information competency learning objectives in their lower-division courses.
2) Faculty in each of the four sub-disciplines will continue to administer and collect data
for the assessment of upper-division classes, using the instruments discussed above.
Results from these instruments will be assessed according to the time schedule
established in the Spring 2008 Department Assessment Plan.
3) The newly established Assessment Committee will work toward establishing a
standardized rubric for assessing student objectives and outcomes in all four-sub
disciplines, which monitors both writing skills and specific content outcome using the
rubrics provided above and the rubric developed by the Department of Family and
Consumer Sciences as models.